We'll Be There for You
by melody40
Summary: Rachel is raped walking home from Bloomingdale's late after work one night. This story follows the next two days as she struggles to deal with what happened to her, and doesn't know what to do. Her friends know something is wrong, and try to help her through it.
1. Chapter 1

**(Below is the original intro to this story, when I was only going to have it be this one chapter. I didn't feel that this was my best writing, but I do feel the story is getting better as it goes on. I am so happy that even just a few people are telling me that they like this story! Please enjoy readers!)**

 **Hello to anybody who is reading this! I know that this story is pretty shitty, and I apologize for that. Nothing of substance really happens. I feel it is a lot of repetitiveness of Rachel's inner monologue and the way that she is feeling. I wanted to include a scene with every friend comforting Rachel, but I didn't get to squeeze a Joey one in there because I didn't want it to get too much longer. I typed this story as sort of a way for me to heal from the similar thing that I went through that it is in this story, and dealing with my emotions. I wish that I had good friends and a support system like these characters do. I imagine that these friends are mine and that I have people who care about me. Anyway, without further adieu here it is! To anybody who is reading this, I hope you enjoy! I also apologize for any grammar, spelling, or repeated words, ect; I don't have time to read this over right now but I want to upload it  
*major trigger warning to somebody who has been sexually assaulted*  
I basically told my story**

 ***midseason 5***

It happened so fast, she didn't stand a chance. Well, that's what she told herself anyway. She ran as fast as she could back to her apartment, barefoot and cold; it kind of reminds her of her wedding day, except that this is nothing like that day. _I should have hit him. Kicked him. Head butted him. Screamed. I didn't do anything._ She runs and runs, hair soaking wet; her pantsuit weighing her down. She stops for a brief moment to bend over, hands on her knees, to shut her eyes and wheeze. But then she's off again in a flash. She makes it back to her and her best friend's apartment, rushing in shaking from head to toe, and runs to the bathroom, slamming the door shut. She immediately turns on the shower, blasting it almost as hot as it can go, and throwing off her wet clothes. She is wheezing and sobbing and moaning in pain and frustration, and can't think straight. A shower is all she is focused on. She gets into the shower, and screams under the water in anger and sadness, beginning to vigorously wash herself clean.

In Monica's bedroom, Chandler and Monica are snuggling and asleep; still enjoying the bliss of nobody (well except Joey) knowing about their relationship. Monica suddenly jolts awake, her instincts making her sit up and listen for a voice. She can hear Rachel. Crying and screaming in the bathroom. Chandler then wakes up too, but Monica throws the blanket off of her and runs to the bathroom. She pounds on the door rapidly and loudly, shouting "Rach! Rach are you okay!?"

Rachel jumps from the knocking, dropping the soap in her hand, and the loud thud makes her heart race even more. "I-I-I'm fine Mon. I'm fine!", Rachel repeats, her voice quivering. "No you're not!" she hears Monica yell back. "I am Monica! Please go away!" Rachel yells, but sobs begin to bubble out of her lips and she has to place her hand over her mouth. Monica stays by the door, knowing her friend needs her, but not knowing what to do. Suddenly she senses Chandler next to her, and turns around as he places a hand on her shoulder. They stand there as they can hear Rachel crying, and Chandler rubs her shoulder with a worried look on his face. "I've never heard her this upset" Monica whispers, her voice cracking. "She must have just had a really bad day. She'll tell you when she's ready" Chandler says soothingly, although he's not sure that he's right. It feels like something worse has happened. "I just have a bad feeling" Monica replies, mirroring his thoughts. "Rach?" Monica says, knocking on the door again. "What?" she screams back. Monica jumps lightly from the volume of Rachel's voice. "I'm here if you need me okay. Just come to my room if you need to talk" she yells through the door, her hands placed against it, wishing she could give her best friend a hug. "Okay!" Rachel shouts back. "Well, I guess I have to leave it at that. Maybe you better leave…just in case she does decide to talk to me" Monica says. Chandler nods. "You're right. I hope she'll tell you what's wrong", he says softly, giving Monica a hug and squeezing her tightly, gently rubbing her back. They quickly kiss goodbye, and Chandler heads back to his and Joey's place. Monica walks back to her room, her heart slowly breaking, as she can still hear Rachel crying in the shower, wondering what in the world was going on.

Half an hour later, Rachel is still rubbing the bar of soap on every inch of her body over and over and over again. Her skin is becoming red and sore, but she still doesn't feel clean. She finally gives up and just sits down in the bathtub, letting the water pour down on her. She puts her head in her knees, her hands clasping behind her head, heart racing and the events of the night playing over in her head. She had to stay late at work, again. It was about 11 when she got out of Bloomingdale's. She stood at the curb for what felt like ages trying to hail a cab, but nobody would stop for her. Then she walked to the bus stop, and two busses passed without stopping. Once it was around 12:30, she finally gave up and decided that she might as well just walk home. She could have called one of her friends, but she didn't want to be a bother to them this late at night. It wasn't that far of a walk, she could do it. Still, walking through the city this late at night gave her the creeps. And as she was walking and kept thinking about how nervous she was, somebody popped out from her left and grabbed her, and began pulling her. She was being yanked into an alley further and further into the darkness, and before she had time to scream; she felt something resting against her temple. "Don't say a word, or you die", a low voice warned. Rachel shut her eyes and immediately began to cry. She did as he said. Finally he stopped pulling her along, and let her drop to the ground. Her body felt like stone, she felt stiff and motionless. She had froze. He got down onto the ground with her, and was wearing a ski mask, but she didn't look into his eyes. "Will you be a good girl for me?" he asked softly. Rachel didn't answer, only looked off to the side, violently shaking and tears streaming down her face. "Will you be a good girl for me?" he asked, more persistent this time. Rachel nodded stiffly. Oh god. She couldn't believe this was happening. She stayed still as he unbuttoned and unzipped her grey pants, pulling them off, along with her heels. She sobbed as he spread her legs. She felt so disgusting. So embarrassed. So weak. She wanted to do something, anything to stop it, but she didn't want him to hurt her even worse, or god forbid kill her. She could get up and run away, but she was sure he would catch her. She knew she was really far away from the street, there was nobody around her, no one would hear her scream, if she tried to kick or hit him he might easily overpower her and get even more angry and beat her up or worse. She didn't want to upset him. She just wanted to listen to him and hopefully make it out alive. All she wanted was her life. But god she didn't want to do this. She was bottomless on the cold, wet cement; and she watched the man's hands as they unbuttoned his own pants. "Please don't do this" Rachel says, but almost no sound came out of her dry, tight throat. "What was that?" the man asked. "Please don't do this" she said again, the words now coming out in whispers. "Say that one more time" the man says angrily, grabbing his gun, clicking off the safety, and pointing at her temple simultaneously. Rachel sobs in response. "That's what I thought" he says, yanking his pants off, and then shoving Rachel onto her back. He got on top of her, and raped her. Rachel shut her eyes tightly, crying so hard, so hard she couldn't breathe, the gun lying on the cement, just out of her reach. She wanted to reach down and grab it, shoot him in his fucking face, but she had never touched a gun in her life. She didn't know what to do. What if she shot it and didn't kill him? What if he just grabbed it out of her hands and killed her before she even had a chance to pull the trigger? She just lied there on her back, feeling absolutely worthless. It hurt, physically, mentally and emotionally. He finally came, and got up. He placed the gun to her forehead again. "Thank you for being a good girl sweetie. Don't tell anyone about this, or you die" he said, and then he walked away, back out the way they had came. Rachel watched him walk away and disappear back into the streets. She stayed on her back, for a long time, a very long time, afraid of him catching her again. She was still frozen, but shaking violently, and sobbing hard. Finally, what felt like an eternity later; she sat up, pulling back on her underwear and pants, and began to run; leaving her heels behind. She ran like she'd never ran before. The hot water pulled Rachel out of her mind, and she was back in the shower again. She still felt chilled to the bone and filthier than she'd even been in her life, but she shut off the water and got up on jello-like legs. She wrapped the towel around herself, and exited the bathroom.

Monica sat on the couch anxiously, hearing Rachel shut off the shower and pulling the curtain back. She couldn't help it. She had to find out what was wrong. She had to make sure Rachel was okay. The door opened, and there was Rachel wrapped up in her towel, hair dripping wet and eyes red and puffy. She had her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she shivered and began quickly shuffling toward her room. "Hey", Monica said softly. "Jesus!" Rachel shouted, jumping and turning towards Monica. "I'm sorry Rach. But I had to catch you and talk to you. What's going on?" she asked, apologetic but persistent. "Nothing" Rachel replied, holding her towel tight against her body. "You're my best friend Rachel. You can talk to me", Monica said earnestly. "I know. Nothing is going on", Rachel repeats, a little more forcefully this time. Monica just looks back at her, knowing Rachel is lying but not knowing what she can do about it. "I'm going to go to my room now", Rachel says; and makes her way to her bedroom. Feeling confused, worried and defeated; Monica goes back to her room to snuggle up with Chandler, and feels upset that Rachel won't tell her what is wrong.

A couple hours later, Chandler wakes up to a scream, and jolts upright. He places his hand on his heavily beating heart, and an awful feeling forms in the pit of his stomach. He knows it was Rachel. He looks down at Monica, she managed to sleep through it. He leans down to gently kiss her forehead, before carefully getting out of bed, shutting Monica's door behind him. He tiptoes over to Rachel's room, sensing something bad in the air. He knows that she isn't okay. And he wishes that she would have told him and Monica what was going on. Whatever it was, it must be really bad if she won't tell them. As he gets closer to her door, he can hear faint crying; but isn't sure until he gets right up to her door and places his ear against it. She is definitely crying, not just crying; sobbing. He closes his eyes and his heart breaks as he can hear her trying to catch her break through sobs and sniffles, even moaning every so often with emotional pain that he can feel coming out of her. Rachel is one of his best friends and he cares about her so much. He wishes that he could help. He goes back to Monica's room, and finds her awake now. He crawls back into bed with her and explains what happened. "I guess all we can is be patient. When she's ready she will tell us" he whispers. "I guess you're right. I just…I just hope she's gonna be okay", Monica replies, shutting her eyes and lying there until sunrise, not able to fall back asleep.

The next day arrives, and it is around noon. Rachel finally steps out of her bedroom, the light of day immediately giving her a headache after having barely slept, and having flashback nightmares over and over in the darkness. She even thought she heard footsteps outside her door at one point, and couldn't breathe she had started crying so hard. But she was going to take a shower, brush her teeth, put on some clothes, and go meet her friends at the coffeehouse. She had to act like everything was okay. She goes to the bathroom and takes off her clothes, and gasps when she sees herself in the mirror. Large bruises have formed on her thighs, hips and stomach where he had grabbed her and held her. "Aaaahh!" she screams in frustration, kicking the wall in anger, and then jumping on one leg as she holds onto her toes. Tears running down her face, she gets in the shower; trying to think about anything and everything besides the emotional, mental and physical pain she is in. Her toes hurt, her bruises hurt, her back and legs and neck and head hurt, she hurts between her legs, but most of all her heart is shattering into a million pieces. Nothing in this world feels the same. She is afraid to leave the apartment. Afraid to go outside. Afraid to see her friends. They have no idea what she went through. They have no idea what kind of horror is in this world. They have never experienced this. How can she go to the coffee shop and talk about something like Chandler dreaming he is Liza Minelli, or Joey talking about thongs, or Ross' sandwich being stolen. But, she's going to have to. She manages to get through her shower, get dressed, and head downstairs to Central Perk. She stands at the door, looking through the window at her friends. Everyone is in their normal spots, and Ross is standing up in front of everyone, arms flailing about, seeming to tell some lavish story. She takes a deep breath, and walks in, just in time to hear "WE WERE ON A BREAK!" "SERIOUSLY!?" she shouts, rage immediately rising up inside her. Ross quickly whirls around, and everyone looks up at her. Every one. "I am so sick of hearing 'this we were on a break' crap Ross! It happened years ago! Get over it! I got over it! You can get over it!" she yells across the coffeehouse. The entire place has fallen silent. Chandler and Monica give eachother worried glances. Ross feels terrible, beginning to walk towards her to apologize, but Rachel immediately turns the other direction to walk back out the door. Ross runs after her, following her as she runs up the apartment stairs back to door 20, and shutting it and locking it behind her. "Rach! Rach! Please open up! I'm sorry!" Ross shouts through the door, pounding on it with his fists. "GO AWAY!" Rachel screams through her tears. "Please Rach let me in!" Ross begs. "No! It's fine! Just please go away!" Rachel says through the door, heading back to the darkness of her bedroom, getting under the covers, and hating everything and everyone. So much for that plan. She feels so embarrassed for reacting that way. Under any other circumstance, she would have rolled her eyes, maybe told him to shut up. But it was too much to handle in that moment. Dealing with everything going on in her head, using all her energy just to go down, just to walk in and hear that? She felt terrible for not just talking to her friends, hell; her friends and the police. She knew she needed to report what happened. And she knew she needed to tell her friends. They loved her and cared about her. They would help her through it. Hell, Ross would probably die if he knew somebody had hurt her like this. She wanted to tell him so bad. She wanted to tell all of them. But she felt too disgusting, too embarrassed, too weak. How she used to feel when she was with Barry. Now she was a strong, independent woman. She could do anything. But this still happened to her, and she was embarrassed to say that she couldn't find a way out of it. She let it happen. Thinking back, she had stayed so that she could make it out alive. But now a part of her wishes she hadn't lived. She hates herself for thinking that. Her friends would kill her themselves if they knew she was thinking such a stupid thought, but she couldn't help it. Everything was different now. Life wasn't peaches and cream. She was afraid that he would hurt her again. Maybe he had followed her home last night and knew where she lived. Maybe she had put her friends in danger. What if he found her again. Or what if somebody else did. She couldn't trust anyone anymore. "Rach! Rach please talk to me!" she suddenly hears, Monica's voice coming closing to her door as she finishes talking, then her door opens. How could she forget to lock it? She immediately throws the covers over her head and prays for Monica to go away, but also hopes Monica just gets into the bed with her and holds her and never lets her go. "Monica please go away" Rachel begs. She feels Monica sit next to her, placing her hand on her shoulder through the blanket and squeezing it. "Rach…whatever you're going through. I'm here for you. We're all here for you" Monica says, her voice cracking. "I know that…" Rachel begins, starting to cry. "I just can't right now". "Okay…well…we love you okay? So much. And, if somebody hurt you…we're gonna kick their ass" Monica says, trying to make Rachel laugh. She smiles a little, but Monica can't see it. Rachel bawls under the blanket, feeling awful for everything; but tries to muffle her cries into the mattress. Monica rubs Rachel's back one more time before getting up to leave, and quietly shutting the door behind her.

Rachel spends the rest of the day in her bedroom, trying to sleep; but continuing to cry, and ends up with a migraine. She goes into their bedroom and swallows a handful of Tylenol, not caring that it's too much, just wanting the pain to go away. Hours later her head is feeling better, but her stomach is throbbing. After awhile, she gives into reason and runs to the bathroom, past all her friends hanging out in the living room; forcing herself to throw up. She stays in there awhile, embarrassed and ashamed, kneeling in the front of the toilet. "Rach? It's Phoebs. Can I come in?" she asks through the door. Rachel puts her forehead down on the toilet seat. They all already know she's hiding something, so what's the point in pretending anymore. "Sure" Rachel answers tiredly. Phoebe steps in and quietly shuts the door behind her. She gets down on the ground by Rachel, placing her hand on her back and rubbing it. "I don't know what you're going through Rach…but…you know my life's been pretty hectic, and I've been through a lot. I might have some words of wisdom if you told us what's wrong. Then again, I might not. But I would try by very best to help you and we will all be there for you" she says, trying her hardest to be helpful. Rachel sighs deeply. "I know Phoebs, it's just…I just can't right now", she says. No more tears fall, there's nothing left for today. Rachel shuts her eyes, thinking about how it hasn't even been 24 hours since her attack, and it seems like so much has happened since then. Her friends have tried so hard to coax her secret out of her. They're either crazy pushy or care crazy much. Maybe it's both. Phoebe speaks up, and it's as she read Rachel's mind. "We all can tell that whatever you're dealing with, it's serious. We've never seen you like this, not even close. Hell, none of us have ever seen any of us like this. The closest thing is when Carol left Ross, and Monica and Richard broke up, but it wasn't even like this. I can see the pain in your eyes Rach…" Phoebe's voice cracks and Rachel lifts her head to tentatively look into Phoebe's eyes. She's afraid of what she will see. "I'll tell you guys when I'm ready. Right now I just…I don't know. I don't know how to talk about it", Rachel tries to explain. "Okay. We understand. I love you okay?" Phoebe says, tilting her head. "I love you too Phoebs", she replies. Phoebe helps Rachel stand up, and they walk out the bathroom together, but as Phoebe heads over to the couch, Rachel heads back to her room, shutting the door behind her.

A couple of hours later, a little after midnight, there is a knock on her door. "Come in", she mumbles into her pillow. Sleep still hasn't found her, and now she's exhausted beyond belief. She can't get out of her mind that about 24 hours ago she was in that alley… "Hey" a soft voice says. She knows that voice. She looks up to see Ross. He tentatively walks over to the opposite side of the bed where she is laying, and gently sits next to her. "I know you're at me right now but-" he begins. "I'm not mad at you" Rachel says quietly. "You're not?" he asks surprised. "No" she replies firmly. How can she be mad at him with everything else going on? The coffeehouse incident is nothing in comparison to, well; everything. "Well that's good…but, I want you to know that I'm here for you. And…I'm sorry about whatever you're going through. If it has to do with me-", he begins. "It doesn't have to do with you", Rachel intervenes, actually almost laughing a bit. Leave it to Ross. "Well that's good…" Ross mutters, embarrassed. "Rach, I've never seen you like this. I just, I'm here for you okay. Whenever you're ready, we're all here for you", he says. "I know" Rachel slurs, beginning to get delirious from the lack of sleep. "Try to sleep okay? We're all heading home now. Will you come meet us at the coffee shop in the morning?" he asks. Rachel nods, finally beginning to doze off. "Yeah I'll try" she mumbles. "Okay, good night" he says, beginning to stand up; but she's already gone.

She wakes up in the morning in a cold sweat, a scream erupting from her throat. Another flashback nightmare. She knows it's only been two nights, but she feels she will never stop reliving that night. It's only her second day, but it's becoming so hard to bare this. But she gets up, feeling even worse, physically, mentally and emotionally than yesterday, but showers and gets dressed, ready to give Central Perk another try. When she leaves her bedroom, ready to head downstairs, everyone is in the living room, hanging out and watching the news. "Oh hey guys" she says, trying her hardest to be okay today, at least in front of them. "All done with your coffee?" "Yeah, but we brought you a latte", Monica says, holding it out for her. "I know I know, we're not really supposed to take those but, we figured this could be an exception", Chandler cracks. Rachel manages to smirk a bit, and walks over to grab the coffee. She sits on the floor by Monica's legs, sipping her hot, steaming latte. "Thanks guys" she says quietly, and Monica squeezes her shoulder. Everyone begins to chat about this and that, Rachel tunes them out and looks at the TV screen, focused on her own thoughts. She is thankful that they aren't asking her any questions today, just having them around her felt comforting, and she felt protected and save. She wasn't sure how she may feel later tonight, or this afternoon or even an hour from now, but right now she felt okay. Then suddenly, she is ripped from her thoughts, when a familiar face on the TV screen makes her jump, and half of her latte sloshes over the mug and onto her pants and the carpet. Her heart began to speed a million miles an hour and she hears whirring in her ears. She didn't even hear herself scream. "What's wrong Rach?" Joey asks her. "Yeah what is it?" Chandler asks, him and Monica's concerned faces surrounding her. She continues to stare at the screen. SUSPECTED SERIAL RAPIST IN NEW YORK CITY the screen says, with a sketch of him on the screen. Him. Her breath comes out of her mouth loudy and rapidly, and then she realizes she can't breathe. She is having a panic attack, everybody gets on the ground surrounding her, touching whatever part of her they can reach, trying to comfort her. Telling her to breathe. When she finally lifts her head out of her knees, she looks up at the screen, and he's no longer there. But she starts to sob. Everyone stays where they are on the ground, surrounding her, and patiently looking at her. They can sense that Rachel is about to speak. "I was raped".


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you Boris Yeltsin and Guest for the reviews on chapter 1. It is extremely appreciated! That was all I planned on writing, but Guest requested a second chapter so here it is! If I continue to get reviews or a review asking for more, I'll keep writing. Even if one person is enjoying my story that makes me very happy! This chapter is sort of a filler before getting into the process of exams, interviews, court trials, ect. Not sure how far in depth I will go with that if I keep writing, especially since I don't know much about all of that, but I will try my best! So thank you again for the reviews and I hope you enjoy chapter 2! Please review if you like it!**

"I was raped" Rachel says. The air in the room stills and the silence is deafening. After a few moments, Chandler is first to speak. "I'm so sorry Rach" he says softly, his hand squeezing her shoulder. Everyone else speaks a chorus of "sorry"s, reaching over to hug her. She begins to cry harder, but a small smile reaches her face, her heart swelling from the love of her friends. She wants to say thank you, but can't seem to find the words. All the friends give eachother quick, worried glances; hating that this happened to Rachel, and knowing that they need to be there for her in whatever ways that they can. "Do you want to talk about it?" Joey asks, his heart breaking for his friend. She shrugs her left shoulder. "I don't know guys. I don't really know what do" she says. Monica looks at Chandler, trying to build up the courage for what she is about to say. Always the practical one, Monica says as sweetly as she can, "Rach, I really think we should take you to the hospital". "No! No no no no no" Rachel shouts immediately, standing up; everyone who was surrounding her hopping up and out of her way. "I will not go! I will not beeee…poked! And prodded! And touched! I won't!" She stands on shaky legs and stares at everyone, challenging them to question her. Monica stands up slowly, making her way over to Rachel, and extending her arms to hold onto Rachel's. She looks into her best friend's eyes, watching her tears fall, sees the pain there, and her heart crumbles. "Rach…" she says, and her voice instantly breaks. "I cannot imagine what you are going through. How you are feeling. How scared you must be". The two woman stare at eachother as tears fall down eachother's faces. "But as somebody who loves you very, very much; we need to go to hospital, and make sure that you are okay. And we need to get whoever hurt you, put away". "Monica" Rachel says shakily, as all the other friends look on this scene, most of them crying themselves. "I- I- I can't. It's…it's too hard. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want anyone looking at me. Asking me questions. Touching me…then they're going to tell the police. I'm going to have to, to- to" Rachel breaks down in sobs, her legs giving away and she falls to the floor once more. Monica immediately gets down on her knees and grabs Rachel's arms again. She knows the only way to get through is tough love now. "You want the man who hurt you to go to prison right? Because I sure do. I know that we all do. And I know that you do too. I hate this. I hate everything about this. I hate that I am hurting you right now and making you scared and making you do something that you don't want to do. But I can't let you go on and act like this didn't happen. Because it did. And you need to get justice for what happened to you. I love you Rachel. We all love you. And we will be there for you every step of the way" Monica finishes through her tears, her throat sore and tight. After a few moments, Rachel lifts her up head, not wanting to agree, hating every part of this, but knowing her friends will never take no for answer. And a part of her knowing that it is what she needs to do. "Okay", she whispers. Monica looks back at her friends with a gaze of seriousness, making sure that they all are ready for this journey. They need to be there for her no matter what. Monica will not let her friend fall because of some piece of shit out there. He will get what he deserves. Monica helps Rachel stand up, and goes to grab their coats. Joey and Chandler catch on and go over to their place to grab their jackets. "Ross, Phoebe, meet us there" Monica tells them, and they nod is agreeance, leaving to quickly go back to their places. "I'm sorry", Monica says softly, grabbing her purse as Rachel follows slowly behind her. "You don't need to be sorry" Rachel says. "I do. Because I know you don't want to do this", Monica replies. "I do want to do this" Rachel says, surprising herself. Monica's heart swells, and she's very proud of her best friend. "Good" she says appraisingly. "I mean…I don't. God I don't. But I do. The way he made me feel-" her voice breaks instantly, and she scolds herself. _You need to get your shit together Green, or you'll never get through this_. "The way he made me feel…I need to undo that. I need to be strong. I need to take back what he took". Monica tries to hide her tears, but the two of them are a mess, and they know it might be this way for a long time. "You made me into the person I am today. Strong, independent…well, a lot more than I was. I can't let him get away with this. And the news said…he did it to a lot of woman. I can't just let this keep happening", Rachel goes on, trying to convince herself to go through with it. She does want to, but almost every fiber of her being feels she's not strong enough to handle this. "You're right Rachel. You _are_ strong. You can do this. And we're going to be here for you every step of the way" Monica encourages. "Okay" Rachel says again, nodding her head repeatedly. Monica takes Rachel's hand, and they step out of the apartment; Chandler and Joey standing there for waiting for them. Monica drives them to the hospital, and Rachel cries all the way there. The strength she built as her and Monica talked at their door quickly faded, and Monica rubs her left arm, and from the backseat, Chandler squeezes Rachel's shoulder. "You can do this Rach" Joey says from behind Monica, reaching over to squeeze Rachel's arm. Rachel doesn't know what to think or how to feel, but they're almost to hospital, and she has to do this. _Get your shit together Green._ Monica parks the car, and they all walk towards the doors of the hospital, where they see Ross and Phoebe waiting for them. The six of them file through the revolving glass doors, and make their way up to receptionist desk. "We need an exam done", Monica says to the woman. "We?" she asks, her eyes scanning the group. "I do" Rachel says quietly, standing in the middle of her group of surrounding friends. "Okay ma'am, and what kind of exam do you need?" the woman asks. She looks at her friends nervously, not wanting to speak the words aloud again. Especially not wanting to speak them to a stranger. Not wanting to go through with any of this. But they give her encouraging looks back. She looks to the receptionist and takes a deep breath. "I was raped" she says quietly. The woman's face softens for a moment, and then she's all professional. "Okay, I'm going to get you some forms to fill out, and I will find you a doctor right away who can perform that exam for you" she says, finding the paperwork and a pen, handing them to Rachel. Rachel's mind spins as she already feels beyond overwhelmed. Her and her friend's all take a seat in the hospital lobby, as Rachel begins to fill out the forms. And she knows that this journey has a long, long road ahead.

 **If I do a chapter 3, Rachel will have the exam, and then the friends will take her to the police station so she can report what happened to her. Let me know if you want that chapter and if you have any suggestions or requests for me on other things I can add to this story or things that I could improve on! Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! I'm back with chapter 3! I hope you all like it. It is really long, and I hope you guys don't find it too long! I wanted to make it as accurate as I could, showing what really happens in a rape medical evaluation. I also am writing Rachel to be very emotional, indecisive with her thoughts and feelings, and having her moods switch around a lot, because she already is an emotional character to begin with, and then adding this onto that. And this is how I have found myself acting after what happened to me. I hope it doesn't come across as too much emotion, or that I am being repetitive. Please give feedback on what you guys think! This was really difficult for me to write because it was scary to do the research and read up on everything that this chapter contains. I hope it does not disappoint! Thank you SO much Guest 1, Guest 2, Boris Yeltsin, and Emsgotabox for your kind, supportive and encouraging comments! They truly, truly mean the absolute world to me. Please keep them coming if you enjoy this chapter! Z.X, thank you for the constructive criticism! I know that I do not do proper spacing/paragraphs, but I never have. I just don't like it. And I had briefly considered making this a SVU crossover, as I love SVU and Olivia Benson, but if I labeled it a crossover story, I would feel obligated to make the story equally about SVU as much as it is Friends, and I want this story to be mainly focused on those six characters. So I'm pretty sure I will be making up the detectives/police on my own. In the meantime, this chapter is the friends taking Rachel to the hospital and her having her evaluation and exam done. I was going to include the police interviews in this chapter, but it already got long enough! I'm not exactly sure where this story would continue to go in the future, but please fave, follow and review if you like it, and please give any suggestions you have on things for me to write into the story next! If anyone also has any requests for a different story they'd like me to write, please let me know! Again thank you so much to the people who have been following my story and encouraging me to continue! I love you all!**

The friends all sit quietly as Rachel fills out the forms, Chandler and Monica are holding hands, Joey notices how upset Phoebe is and grabs her hand comfortingly as well. Ross sits across from Rachel, his head bowed down, but his eyes looking upward, staring at Rachel as she jots her information down. She looks so fragile, so innocent. It her oversized sweater and sweatpants, eyes red and swollen from all of the crying and lack of sleep, her hair a straggly mess. But she has never been more beautiful. And he would do anything to take her pain away. To hurt the man who hurt her. It had been awhile since they had dated, but she was still one of his best friends, and even if they never were in a relationship again, she would always hold a very special place in his heart. He couldn't bare to think about what had happened to her. He didn't even want to know. But they were all going to find out later. Ross knew where Monica would take her next. To the police, to report what happened to her. He didn't want to watch her go through all of this, but he also knew that she had to do it. He hoped that she would feel so much better once all of this was over. Once her attacker was put away. But he knew that that could be a long ways away. He continues to stare at Rachel, wanting to wrap her up in a giant hug and never let her go. His heart ached for her so much, he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes; and he quickly got up as he whispered to Monica, "I'll be right back". He walked quickly through the hallways, searching desperately for a bathroom; somewhere where he could get some privacy to let out his frustration. Once he finally found one he hurried in, and became pacing from wall to wall, breathing heavily, fists clenching, and suddenly turned to the wall in front of him and began punching it. Punching, punching, punching; until he ran out of breath and slumped down to the ground. Only then did a few tears fall from his eyes, and he regretted every terrible thing he ever said to Rachel, whether it was his true feelings or a joke, every time he didn't support Rachel's career and interest in fashion, when he called her "just a waitress", when he slept with another woman. He still loved her. He still cared for her so much. She was an incredible woman with extreme passion in her heart, and she deserved the best. She did not deserve this. It made him so angry that this happened to Rachel. "Ross?" a voice knocks him out of his thoughts. He looks back up to see Monica. "What are you-?" he begins to ask, when she cuts him off. "What happened to your hands?!" she shouts, running over and kneeling in front of him, cradling his fingers in her own. "Nothing" he says roughly. "Is everything okay?" Monica sighs and looks at him seriously. "Rachel is about to go in for her exam. Only one person is allowed to go with her…she wants you", she says softly. Ross looks down at his now throbbing, swollen knuckles as an afterthought, his thoughts swirling a mile a minute. "She wants me?" he asks, confused and very scared. It made sense that she would feel comfortable with him, but he's surprised that she doesn't want Monica or Phoebe. "I don't know if I can do this". "I know. But you have to" Monica convinces, soft but stern; placing a hand on Ross' knee. "She needs us. All of us are heartbroken seeing her like this, but she feels a thousand times worse. We have to be strong for her". Ross nods, still feeling very unsure of himself. He doesn't want to let Rachel down, and he's so afraid that he will. He doesn't know how to handle this at all, but he has to try. He begins to stand up, Monica following along with him, and suddenly she throws her arms around him tightly, digging her face into his chest. Ross stills with surprise for a moment, before his arms wrap back around her. Ross feels his sister tremble beneath his grip, and cry into his sweater. "This sucks" she says simply, through sobs. Ross rubs Monica's back, placing his chin on the top of her head. "It really does" he replies softly, trying to hold back more tears. "I better get out there though. I don't want Rachel to have to wait for me any longer". Monica backs up and wipes up her face. "You're right. Let's go" she says, sniffling and trying to be brave once more. They head back out to the lobby, where Rachel is patiently waiting for Ross. When she had finished filling out her forms, she brought them back to receptionist, who told her she would meeting with Dr. Charles Lewinski in room 409 on the third floor. She had asked if her friends could come with her, and the woman told her only one. She surprised herself when she immediately chose Ross. But then when she thought about it, she wasn't so surprised after all. Even after all these years, and with their all their history; he was definitely the one person in the world who she felt most comfortable with. The person that could hurt her so badly, but also make her feel so good inside. A part of her still loved him and always would. And no matter what, he would always be one of her best friends. She needed him. As she waited for Ross and Monica to return, she kind of hoped they never would. Then maybe she would never have to go up to floor 3 room 409, but as she caught a glimpse of them walking back; she knew she had to do it.

As Ross and Rachel ride the elevator up to floor 3, Rachel begins to tremble. Ross looks over at her for the thousandth time that day, and has to regain his composure. He takes a small step closer to her and wraps his arms around her. "It's going to be okay", he says; his voice echoing around in the metal box. She doesn't say anything until the elevator doors open and then she says simply, "I hope you're right". They walk down the hallway, searching for room 409. When they find it, they step in; and the doctor introduces himself. "Hello Ms. Green, I'm Dr. Charles Lewinski" he says gently. "And you must be?" "Ross, Ross Geller", he forces out, extending his hand. While him and the doctor share a handshake, Rachel's eyes wander over to the exam bed, and the tools, medications, and the camera that are on a metal cart. Images of the man and that night flash before her eyes, and she feels like she about to tip over, but she steadies herself, and realizes nobody noticed. She takes a deep breath. _You've got this Green._ "You can follow me over here Ms. Green, and just take a seat on the bed", Dr. Lewinski instructs. Ross and Rachel trail behind him, and she gingerly takes a seat on the stiff white sheets. Ross stands next to her protectively, and the doctor stands on her other side at the end of the bed. "Alright Ms. Green. I am going to be straightforward with you. This is going to be rough. There are a lot of steps, and it can take a long time. But I will walk you through everything step by step and explain what I am doing. We are going to do this at your pace. If you ever need a moment to breathe, you let me know and I will stop whatever I am doing. Okay?" he asks. _I don't really have a choice do I?_ Her eyes once again scan all the tools in front of her. There are pill bottles and liquids and cotton swabs and q-tips and giant metal things. There's that damn camera. There's a pregnancy test. Her stomach flips. She hadn't even thought of that. "Ms. Green?" Dr. Lewinski asks softly. "Yeah" she says quickly, her head snapping in his direction. "Did you hear everything I said? I have to make sure before I begin your exam", he says; being professional but not unkind. "Yes, yes I did" she says, embarrassed already for zoning out. She didn't want to be here with this man. She knew that she should trust him, he's a doctor. Her own father is a doctor for crying out loud. But she didn't want to be here with him. She wanted to be anywhere but here. Ross watched as Rachel's face contorted, revealing all of her emotions, and quickly put his hand on her shoulder. "Okay, to start out, I'm going to ask you some questions" he conveys. "Okay", Rachel says, nodding and taking a breath. "Did your attacker wear a condom?" he asks. "What?" she yells, her breathing turning immediately uneven. "Why does that matter?" "It may determine whether or not I need to give you a pregnancy test and medication to prevent possible STD's" Dr. Lewinski explains. _Oh yeah, that damn pregnancy test._ As the doctor says these words, Ross suddenly tastes something metallic. He licks his lip and realizes he was biting down on it, trying to suppress his anger. If he ever lays eyes on the man who hurt her…"He didn't" Rachel says quietly. "Okay. And did you sustain any injuries from the attack?" he questions. "Umm…not really…" Rachel begins, not exactly what he means by injuries. "I have a lot of bruises, and I'm really sore…but that's it". "Okay. And what did your attacker look like?" he asks, as he writes down everything Rachel is saying. "Why?" she asks, her voice raising again. "I have to ask. It's a routine part of the examination to get the details of the attack" he explains, sympathetic but firm. "But, b-but…" she starts to stutter, and then looks up to Ross for help, then looks back at Dr. Lewinski. "I don't want to talk about it. I just thought you were going to look for DNA and that was it. I shouldn't have to talk about it right now", she rambles, starting to cry. Ross' heart breaks and he squeezes her shoulder harder, making sure she never forgets her is right there with her. "There are a lot of steps to this process" he repeats. "And part of it is getting details of the attack". "But why do you need to know? You just need to do the medical stuff. You don't need to know that stuff", Rachel goes on, wanting to make him understand. He wasn't understanding. "I understand it's very difficult Ms. Green. But it is a part of the exam and it is my job to ask and get the details" he explains patiently. "You can take all the time that you need to answer my questions okay? We do this according to you. But I have to ask". Rachel hangs her head down and shuts her eyes, placing her hand over her mouth to stifle the sobs coming out of it. Ross gazes down at her, thinking again how she looks so small and fragile. He puts his arm around her, and bends down to say in her ear, "You can do this Rach. I know you can do this". After a few more moments of crying, Rachel takes a deep breath and wipes her eyes. _You can do this Green. You have to do this. Just get through this._ "Well…I didn't really see him" Rachel begins, her voice so small. She already feels ashamed for not being able to answer the question. "Do you know what color his skin was?" Dr. Lewinski asks. "White" she answers immediately. "Do you know what color his hair was?" he asks. "No" she answers, sniffling and shaking her head. "He had on one of those ski mask hat things". "That's okay. Do you know what color his eyes were?" he questions. "Brown. I think. They looked dark. But I didn't really look. And it was dark" she answers in bursts. "That's okay. Anything and everything helps. How sure are you that they were brown?" he asks. "Umm…" she whispers, and then takes a moment to think about it. She imagines his face. Imagines the one moment she really looked at him. It was so hard to see. But she knows she saw white skin around dark eyes. "I don't really know. They were dark. They could have been black or dark blue maybe. It was too dark to tell" she explains to the doctor. "That's okay" he says softly, writing the information down. "This is another difficult question. Did your attacker use a weapon?" Rachel's breath hitches as she remembers the fear she felt when he pointed the gun to her head, multiple times. She can only nod. "What did he use?" Dr. Lewinski asks. "A gun" she breathes out. Ross' legs almost give out underneath him. The thought of someone threatening Rachel with a gun…and he thought this couldn't get any worse. He blinks back tears at the mere thought of her being shot. "Okay" the doctor says softly, continuing on. "And was your attacker aggressive?" "Yes" Rachel says. "Did he hit you?" he asks. "No. But he…he grabbed me…and he dragged me…", she begins, but starts to hyperventilate. "Just breathe" the doctor says calmly. "Don't rush yourself". Ross rubs Rachel's back, but turns away from her and the doctor to blink back tears. Here comes the part that he was really dreading, hearing any detail of what happened to her. Rachel cries again for a few moments, and then wipes her tears and takes a deep breath. She is now shaking, the crispy sheets underneath her quietly rustling, and Ross wishes so badly that he could make all of this go away for her. "He dragged me into an alley. In the middle of the night. He had his arms wrapped tightly around me. He put a gun to my head. I couldn't get away. Or maybe I could've. I don't know. He shoved me onto the ground. Then he shoved me onto my back. And he held me down. He threatened me with his gun. He said he'd kill me if I told anyone or if I…wasn't a good girl" Rachel gets out, saying most of this through more tears. Then she jumps at the sudden clanging noise that comes from in front of her. The doctor quickly looks at Ross who has just kicked the tool cart. Rachel looks up at Ross, realizing what just happened, feeling so awful for him, but feeling so grateful that he is here. "Do you need a moment Mr. Geller?" Dr. Lewinski asks him. Ross quickly shakes his head. "No I'm fine sorry" he says embarrassed, and fuming inside. "Alright Ms. Green. You're doing great. I have one more question before we start the physical part of the exam. Where did the attacker penetrate you?" She squints her eyes, confused. "What?" she asks after a beat. What does he mean where did he penetrate you? "Oral, vaginal, or anal; or more than one of those?" he explains. "Oh. Vaginal" she answers, face flushing red. "Okay Ms. Green. You did amazing" he says, setting his clipboard aside. "Now, the next parts of this are going to be difficult as well. We will continue to do everything at your pace and when you are ready" he explains. "I will need you to undress, and I will need to take pictures of the injuries you sustained". Her eyes shoot to the camera. Undress? Pictures? She wasn't ready for that. "Okay" she says, beginning to stand up on wobbly legs. "You may undress behind that curtain if you'd like. Whenever you are ready", Dr. Lewinski says; gesturing to the thin sheet across the room. She begins walking slowly towards the curtain, suddenly regretting ever telling her friends what happened to her.

Back in the lobby, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey wait; patient and anxious. Joey and Phoebe sit next eachother, their arms resting against one another's, and Phoebe's head falling to rest against Joey's shoulder once in awhile. Monica and Chandler are doing the same. They spend most of the time staring at the ground or their laps, once in awhile their eyes lifting up to give solemn looks to one another. Suddenly Chandler lifts his head, and asks his friends "Has anything like this ever happened to you guys before?" Nobody is offended by the question, as they've all been such close friends for years. Phoebe shakes her head. "No. A lot of men tried while I was living on the streets, but I could out run them". Chandler frowns and turns his gaze to Joey. "No. Besides my tailor, but I didn't even know what was happening at the time" he says. Then Chandler turns his body towards his secret girlfriend. "What about you Mon?" he asks softly. "No, nothing like this" Monica says shaking her head. "What do you mean nothing like this?" he asks. "Well, like when I was a waitress; sometimes men grabbed my butt…or sometimes walking in the city a drunk guy or some jerk would try to make a move but I'd just tell them to stop and keep walking" she explains. Chandler eyes smolder and he turns his attention back to the ground and shakes his head. "What's wrong?" Monica whispers. "Men are pieces of shit", he says.

Rachel walks back out from the behind the curtain, her arms crossed over her breasts, and her eyes continuing to stream tears. They don't seem to be able to stop at this point, and Ross can't wait until they do. He can't stand to see her cry anymore. She steps forwards, and Ross notices the bruises on her body, now just a day and a half old, still huge, dark, and all shades of blue and purple. He feels his stomach churn and has to look away. His heart races and his fists clench, and he feels that metallic taste in his mouth again, but he has to stay here, he has to stay strong for Rachel. "Alright Ms. Green, I am just going to take pictures of your injuries, and then you can put that gown on" he says, gesturing to the hospital gown laying across the exam bed pillow. She nods stiffly. Rachel stands still, alternating between closing her eyes and looking up at the ceiling while Dr. Lewinski takes pictures of the large bruises on her hips, thighs and stomach. She can feel her lungs tightening and the air getting harder to breathe, the room beginning to shrink in on her, but she fights through it again and stays upright. The doctor notices her breathing hitching and reminds her softly "Just take deep breaths, Ms. Green. You are doing perfect". He then has her turn around, and he takes pictures of the bruises on her back and butt, that she didn't even know were there. Ross stands silently, fuming with anger, sadness, hatred, guilt, regret and everything in between, as he helplessly watches Rachel. Dr. Lewinski puts down the camera and hands Rachel the gown. She quickly puts it on, throwing it around herself, and then looks over to Ross, having felt too embarrassed and ashamed to do so until now. They stare into eachother's eyes for a few moments, trying to convey everything they are thinking and feeling with just a look, until the doctor interrupts their moment. "Alright Ms. Green, now is time for the medical examination" he says softly. "I will need you to lie down and put your feet in the stirrups, and the first thing I will do is take vaginal swabs for DNA". Rachel nods and sits down onto the bed, swinging her legs up and lying back, trying to get as comfortable she possibly can. She lifts her legs up to position them, and they begin to violently shake. She sets her fit in the stirrups, and she begins to cry once more and whimper with frustration. Ross rushes to her side, and softly strokes her hair away from her wet forehead. "Ross" she cries, and closes her eyes with agony. "Shh…shhh…" he comforts, his voice shaking as well. "Rach, I'm right here. I'm right here. You can do this". He watches the beads of sweat roll off her face, notices the dark circles under her eyes and how red they are from crying and exhaustion; and can tell this is really, really taking a toll of her. It's taking so long. It's so much worse than he even thought it would be. He wants it to be done for her, but it's all just getting started. He continues to stroke her hair and whisper soothing words to her until she stops whimpering. The doctor waits a minute before asking, "Are you ready Ms. Green?" She nods to him, and she grabs Ross' hands and grips it tightly, his heart swelling as she does. He grabs the swab, and gently puts it inside Rachel, who clenches her face to keep from crying again, and he takes a smear of her vaginal canal. The removes the swab, placing it into a plastic bag and sealing it shut. "Okay Ms. Green. Now I have to take four more vaginal swabs, for STD testing" he explains. She nods, realizing she does not want to speak. She has had enough. He works on getting the samples, while explaining the different smears will be used to test for trichomonal vaginitis, bacterial vaginosis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. He places each of those four swabs into their own plastic bag as well, and seals them shut. "Alright Ms. Green, you may sit up now", the doctor says, and Rachel graciously removes her feet from the stirrups and sits up in the bed. Ross stands up from where he was kneeling next to Rachel, and stays at her side. "You are doing great. There are just a few more steps that we have to go through" Dr. Lewinski says. "Next I am going to take a hair sample, and a saliva swab okay?" he asks, and Rachel nods. He takes a tweezers, and removes a few strands of hair from Rachel's scalp, right at the root, and places them in a bag. Then he grabs a mouth swab, and Rachel's open up her mouth, staring ahead, as the doctor swabs the inside of her cheek, and places it into a bag. Rachel feels her muscles twitch and herself suddenly filling with growing impatience and anger. She wants this to be over. She is sick of this. He again reminds her that she is doing a great job, and she wants to claw his face off. "Just a couple more things Ms. Green, did you bring along the clothing that you were wearing the night of the attack?" he asks. "No" she answers. "Did you wash them?" he asks. She thinks about the pile of clothes she made in the corner of her room. "No" she replies. "Okay, we will need you to bring those back here as soon as possible so they can be sent to the lab along with everything else. They can be a huge help in helping to gather DNA". Rachel nods, and Ross squeezes her shoulder, sensing her frustration, knowing she wants it to be over just as badly as he does. "Only one more thing Ms. Green" Dr. Lewinski says, grabbing the pregnancy test. She looks at it and then looks up at him. "You may go into the bathroom over there whenever you are ready", he says gesturing. Her anger and annoyance and impatience has very quickly left her body, and she is filled with fear. She grabs it from him, and then slowly stands up, walking to the restroom. She quietly shuts the door behind her, and sinks down onto the ground. She can hear here the sound of blood rushing through her body, a loud whirring in her ears, and her heart pumping a mile a minute. She looks up at the ceiling, and for the first time since she was a little girl, she prays. "Please God, please" she whispers. "I don't know if you're up there, or if you can hear me, but if you are and if you can…please…". She hunches over, sobbing into her knees. "I can't do this" she whispers. "I can't have a baby. Not right now. Not during this. I can't". _I'm not ready to have a baby. Especially like this. How will I love it? And how can I give it up? And I could never get an abortion. But god please don't let me be pregnant._ She cries in the still silence of the sterile, white bathroom, knowing that no god is listening to her. Whatever happens happens and there is no controlling it. _Please don't let this happen._ She stands up on shaky legs, and grabs the box, turning it over to read the instructions. She had never taken a pregnancy test before. She had been a reckless teenager, and sometimes an even more wreckless adult, but she had never messed around with this. She had always used birth control. The directions seemed easy enough to follow, and she took the stick out of the box. She slowly sat down on the toilet, moving the hospital gown out of the way, and held the stick underneath her. She peed, watching the end of the stick turn yellow, and then set it on the sink. She finished peeing, and shut her eyes, only hearing the sound of her blood and her heartbeat once more. Time seemed to still but it also was moving too fast. She didn't want to look. She couldn't look. She stood up and grabbed the test, avoiding all eye contact with it, and opened up the bathroom door. She walked out, heading straight for Ross, and held it out to him. "Tell me" she pleads. "I can't look". He anxiously moves his eyes over to the pregnancy test, and wearily says "One line", not knowing what it meant. "One line?" Rachel repeats, the beginnings of hope and relief hitting her. Dr. Lewinski grabs the test, and repeats certainly "One line. You're not pregnant". Rachel throws her arms around Ross, crying tears of relief into his chest. A part of her heart also aches, feeling guilty for being so happy. Maybe if she had been pregnant, it could have turned out okay. But she knew that she just could not handle it right now. Ross holds her in his arms, feeling so relieved for her and proud of her for getting through this. "Alright Ms. Green, there are just a few things I still have to go over with you", the doctor states. She turns her face towards the doctor, while her head still rests against Ross' sweater. "As soon as possible, head home and get the clothes that you were wearing the night of the attack, the more the better. We will have all of the STD results back within a week, as well as the DNA results if we get any from the exam or your clothing" he explains. "You have to come back in 90 day for a HPV test, in six weeks for another gonorrhea and chlamydia test, as well as human papillomavirus infection, syphilis and hepatitis. And in six months you will have to come back for another syphilis and hepatitis test, as well a test for HIV. I am prescribing you some prophylaxis to help prevent contracting these STD's until then". He writes everything down and gives Rachel the papers and medications. A sense of dread is washing over Rachel hearing all of these diseases thrown around in a matter thirty seconds, but in that moment she is so relieved that this is over that she doesn't care. And as much as Ross knows that it's just his job, he wants to punch the doctor in the face for throwing all of this at Rachel. He also can't bare the thought of Rachel contracting an STD, especially something like HIV. He can't imagine Rachel getting sick like that…"You are all done here Ms. Green" Dr. Lewinski says extending his hand, and Rachel and Ross give him a final handshake. "You did amazing. And when you come back with your clothing, bring it in a closed bag, and give it to the receptionist downstairs. I'll tell her to take it to the lab". Rachel nods, and Ross thanks the doctor. "Bye bye now" Dr. Lewinski says as he closes his door, but Ross and Rachel are already halfway down the hallway. Rachel is walking quickly, her mind a blur, her vision going haywire, barely hearing anything other than a buzz, as her thoughts and emotions run a mile a minute. Suddenly she is running, and Ross jogs behind her. "Rach!" he yells, as she begins speeding down the stairs. "Rach!" He follows her through the hospital, through the lobby, and quickly glances over to his friends, whose heads have whipped in their direction as Rachel ran past, their faces worried and confused, but Ross doesn't have time to stop. He follows Rachel through the hospital doors outside, and for a fleeting moment feels absolutely horrified, thinking she is about to run into traffic, when she collapses onto the front lawn on the hospital. Face buried in the ground, hands clenching the dirt, she cries, loud and gut wrenching. Ross rushes over, sits down next to her, and rubs her back. He doesn't know what to say. For the thousandth time that day, he fears he might not be able to help her after all. This is going to be such a long road, but he keeps reminding himself that he has to stay strong for Rachel, all of them do. He keeps a firm hand on Rachel's back, ignoring the looks of passersby heading in and out of hospital, when he notices his friends standing outside the doors, watching them. They are all crying, and so is Ross. She finally lifts her head, and takes a deep breath, wiping her eyes and sitting up. The friends slowly walk over, and Rachel's eyes focus in on Monica. They all kneel down on the grass surrounding her, and Rachel looks into Monica's eyes. " _Please_ tell me we can go home now" Rachel pleads. Monica's throat clenches and her heart tightens in her chest, and she wipes away her flow of tears, trying to be strong. "You know I can't Rach" she says softly. Rachel shuts her eyes and doesn't say anything, so angry; so sad, so frustrated. All of the friends lean in to hug her. Then she suddenly stands up, everyone backing up out of her way, and surprises everyone by beginning to walk towards the car saying "Well, let's go get this over with". _You have to do this Green._


End file.
